The One I Love

A pleasure to watch but a challenge to discuss without spoiling a good deal of the fun, “The One I Love” marries Mark Duplass’ skill for incisive relationship comedies with a high concept any Hollywood studio would covet. Boasting spectacular performances from Duplass and Elisabeth Moss as a husband and wife on the brink of separation, this incredibly assured directorial debut of Charlie McDowell essentially turns the idea of a two-hander upside down and inside out. Smart, crowd-pleasing entertainment.

The film opens with Ethan (Duplass) and Sophie (Moss) seemingly at the end of their rope in couples therapy. The spark they once had is gone, and, as Sophie shares with their therapist (Ted Danson), happiness has become something they have to re-create from memories of a better past. But even these early scenes hint at something strange at work, as the therapy sessions alternate between what appear to be two different timelines, complete with different wardrobes and slightly different hairstyles.

The story really kicks in when the couple drive to a nearby vacation home at the urging of their therapist. He swears that struggling couples have had great success rekindling their romance in the secluded locale, and it intially looks like a break from society is exactly what the pair needs. Sophie cooks dinner, they smoke pot and have great conversation.

Throughout its brisk 90-minute running time, “The One I Love” reinvigorates the romantic-comedy genre with an infusion of sci-fi/fantasy elements and sharp scripting. Screenwriter Justin Lader only supplied a 50-page script and suggested dialogue, leaving Duplass and Moss to improvise a large percentage of the lines. Thanks to collaborative rehersals involving McDowell, Lader, producer Mel Eslyn and the actors, their delivery bares none of the telltale signs of performers making it up on the fly, and the storytelling is witty, sophisticated and emotionally authentic all the way.